NBC and AAA reporting $4.00 per gallon gas

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mootsman @ Nov 6 2007, 04:12 PM) [snapback]535752[/snapback]</div>

Here in Texas I see thousands upon thousands of big trucks every week. Only a small percentage of those look to me like real work trucks. The rest are shiny urban cowboy monstrosities...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Nov 6 2007, 09:28 PM) [snapback]535971[/snapback]</div>

Norcal has it's fair share as well. You can thank the rediculous subsidies lavished on small businesses to buy large "work" trucks. Now everyone and their brother is buying lifted F350 Powerstrokes with 24" chrome rims. The dealers respond by adding specialty items so these buyers can finance the whole thing and work the bill into their tax break. :angry:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mootsman @ Nov 6 2007, 02:12 PM) [snapback]535752[/snapback]</div>

A great many of them that do use their trucks for work do not require the large motors that are available and could make due with the smaller engines or a smaller truck. With better incentives, manufactures could engineer more fuel efficient work trucks. Unfotunately, fuel is harder to tier than electricity and it is hard to charge the gross users more vs the impoverished light user. So in some ways this is a social justice issue. On the otherhand, many of the "impoverished" folk I know still make stupid decisions and buy gas-guzzlers instead of a used Honda Civic. Some might label me elitist but growing up extremely poor and working with car stereo and accessories has shown me what people choose to drive, and how they spend their extra cash. Many of these people struggle to survive on "$30k" a year yet they walk outside my shop to smoke a ciggarette then come back in to buy a new amplifier for their '99 chevy truck. Sometimes it comes down to an issue of bad judgement and priorities right?

 

just realized that I'm getting about the same miles per dollar now as I was in my Jeep Wrangler back in 2000 ...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(prius2go @ Nov 7 2007, 12:39 AM) [snapback]535484[/snapback]</div>

I was pretty bleary eyed and in a hurry to go to work, I may have had a typo, thanks for the correction, I didn't think my numbers were right.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(silver-machine @ Nov 7 2007, 03:32 AM) [snapback]535593[/snapback]</div>

$7.92 now!! Was my bad, I think I typed in 2.78 by mistake with my morning eyes. Oops!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mootsman @ Nov 7 2007, 07:42 AM) [snapback]535752[/snapback]</div>

Yes I do, I wrote about it some time back

If someone is raising a family on $30k PA, what were they thinking when they bought the gas guzzler? Plenty of econoboxes out there on the second hand market they could have or should now buy. Nothing sends a message to the oil cartels like the redneck family in a sub 2.0L stationwagon.

 

i agree with the gas tax. my father has been saying this for years. at least we would be assured that a portion of that money we pay is going to something worth while.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rangerdavid @ Nov 6 2007, 04:07 AM) [snapback]535399[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I just shake my head when I see newer (current generation) monstrosity class SUVs (curb weight of 5000+ lbs. such as Tahoes, Expeditions, Navigators, Suburbans, and Escalades) running around, some brand new off the lot w/o official plates. Talk about dumb. Most of them seem to be driven solo or by a minimum # of passengers.

Most of these people have no business driving such menaces and don't "need" the room.

 

Here we have a government agency called "The Housing Trust".
The Housing Trust provides housing for people who can't afford to pay full rent for one reason or another so the Trust provides low rent housing.
They try and try to make them blend in but most times you can tell a housing trust house from a privately owned house.
These houses are the ones that often have the biggest thirstiest cars parked in the driveway.
The people who live in these houses think a big car covers up their poverty just like smoking makes them look affluent. This in spite of the fact people with better means drive smaller cars and don’t smoke.
Go figure?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(gringa @ Nov 6 2007, 06:58 PM) [snapback]535817[/snapback]</div>

I drove up an ATV trail wrapping a mountain in the North GA Smokies (a little north of Vogel State Park) in my Prius last year, no problem. It was highly illegal, but I pitched a tent up there and spent the night. Woke up to the sound of ATVs buzzing down the trail. They were quite irritated to see me slowly coming down the mountain.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(freke70 @ Nov 7 2007, 04:57 AM) [snapback]536077[/snapback]</div>

Any particular technique that you used? I have always wondered how it would be possible to keep the revs in a specific range to maximize torque on the uphill portion.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mootsman @ Nov 6 2007, 06:12 PM) [snapback]535752[/snapback]</div>

Don't expect any sympathy from me for people who made poor choices when selecting vehicles. A large family could have purchased a van with a 4-cylinder engine that gets decent fuel economy. When my kids were still at home, we had a Ford Taurus wagon that got 31 mpg highway.

I see people with half of my income driving SUV gas-hogs: again, no sympathy now that gas prices have gone up. I have a Prius, a '99 Civic, and a BMW motorbike. The bike used to be my most fuel-efficient vehicle, but now the Prius is. My Civic is now my gas hog! The point is, while I could have gone for bling and status, a Civic was fine for me because I valued fuel economy. The vast majority of Americans haven't valued fuel economy when selecting vehicles, and still don't! There are people right now signing on the dotted line for gas-hog SUV's, and $35K pickup trucks that can't afford the vehicle or the gas to put in them. The thing about life is, you make your own choices, and then you have to live with the consequences of those decisions.

Harry

 

They are just working in conjunction with big oil. They are starting to brainwash the public into accdepting that gas will be at $4.00 in the near future so we will not start screeming about it when they do it.

 

Ummmm,
Go about 8 posts down:

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=31491&hl=

I took that pic many MANY months ago. Call me when it hits $10/gallon. Perhaps that'll get folks attention. Until then, the RV clubbers, the off roaders and toy haulers and jet skiers etc. won't even notice because they take pride in the fact that, "who cares, I can afford it".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA Prius @ Nov 6 2007, 11:16 AM) [snapback]535487[/snapback]</div>

Mass Transit?!
A waste of tax payer money which could be better spent elsewhere.
A government boondoggle. I see these big buses driving around all day and it might have one or two people in them.

It would be much more efficient both in terms of government spending and decreasing fuel consumption to have these few people car pool or hire a taxi!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Nov 7 2007, 09:27 AM) [snapback]536084[/snapback]</div>

Unfortunately many Americans can't afford the new fuel efficient hybrid vehicles that Toyota sells for exorbitant prices, large markups and cash cow profits for their company.

It's a sad fact that many Americans can only afford older second hand vehicles which may be gas hogs.

American hating Arabs are getting rich, oil companies are getting rich, car companies are getting rich, while the blue collar worker is getting it up the wazoo every time they go for a fill up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kcoruol @ Nov 7 2007, 01:53 PM) [snapback]536213[/snapback]</div>

I think you are missing the point, which was directed toward people buying new/nearly new SUVs for well more than the price of a Prius, HCH, or other more efficient vehicle.

Even if you do not have the income to buy new, buying a 5 or 10-year old SUV is equally as foolish. Perhaps they could not afford (or find) a Prius in that price range, but they could always buy a Corolla or some other 4-cylinder that is better on gas. People need to learn to listen more to their needs than their wants.

Bottom line - don't buy a gas hog because "you like to drive a big vehicle" and have less than 4 kids, then cry about gas prices. No sympathy here...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kcoruol @ Nov 7 2007, 01:42 PM) [snapback]536208[/snapback]</div>

I'm not convinced. With my suggested additional $1./gallon tax to go toward mass transit I would expect that the busses would fill-- due both to the high cost of gas and to the greatly reduced (free?) cost of travelling by mass transit. In addition, I'd suggest we greatly increase the cost of downtown parking in favor of free Park & Ride lots outside the city.

PA P

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kcoruol @ Nov 7 2007, 11:53 AM) [snapback]536213[/snapback]</div>

Disagree.
1. The really unfortunate fact is that many Americans CAN afford to buy hybrids but choose not to for various reasons.
2. I don't think the Prius is exorbitantly overpriced. And based on the sale number I think the market agrees with my assessment.
3. I doubt if Toyota's execs would consider the Prius a cash cow. Its production cost is pretty steep still, and they're only made to order.

True. But we as a society can do much more to reduce the number of gas hogs on the road. The sad fact is that the current administration and Congress seem unable to muster any political will to fix this problem. Perhaps their (and our) pain point is somewhere in the $5/gallon range.

That is why it's important to raise CAFE standards across the board. It's the most effective mechanism we have to help the underdogs in this fight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zenMachine @ Nov 7 2007, 01:28 AM) [snapback]535971[/snapback]</div>

Same here in Houston, and I know many of the big trucks and SUV's are not used for farm work since they are parked in front of houses all around my neighborhood (or neighborhoods just like mine)! The number of single occupant big trucks in Houston is just amazing.

I look like the misfit on my street with my Honda Fit and Prius parked in my driveway

I also disagree that the poor can only afford old second hand gas guzzlers as there are just as many used econo boxes they could purchase (and usually for much less). I've always bought economy cars, and that doesn't mean they have to be boring...I still miss my 88 Chevy Sprint Turbo...it had a 3 cylinder, and was lots of fun.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kcoruol @ Nov 7 2007, 09:42 AM) [snapback]536208[/snapback]</div>

Actually you are incorrect in the grand scheme. Mass transit IS the way to go. Unfortuntely most western cities were designed with expansion in min and that has really made mass transit inefficient. The general rule of thumb requires 35 people per hectare (residing) to be truely efficient and in those cases it can net huge savings economically and in regards to the health of individuals and a community. I highly recommend reading up on the subject in State of the World 2007 ~ Our Urban Future.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4752

Place like Vancouver B.C., Portland, OR. Melbourne Australia, Sweden, and many Japanese cities are seeing amazing benefits ater expanding their mass transit systems and modeling their systems after those in Curitiba Brasil.

excerpt from the book:

Chapter 4: Greening Urban Transportation

"While each city has its own transportation story, the past 30 years have seen an explosion in the growth of cars in cities worldwide. In 1970, there were 200 million cars in the world, but by 2006 this had grown to more than 850 million—and the number is expected to double by 2030. Heavily marketed and the symbol of success for any aspiring person from Boston to Belgrade to Beijing, the car seems unstoppable.

A city needs a variety of transportation and land use options, not just one . Providing a wide range of options can build resilience into an urban area, especially when it faces crises like climate change and the peaking of world oil production, as well as the need to address a wide range of economic and social functions through transportation . On average, urban car travel uses nearly twice as much energy as urban bus travel, 3.7 times more than light rail or tram travel, and 6.6 times more than electric train travel.

In the past, transportation priorities have generally been set by engineers, not the public. Cities need visions for how they can be transformed from car dependence and car saturation to greener modes of transport. And they need political leaders who can overcome the various barriers that prevent these visions from coming true.

Peter Newman is Professor of City Policy and Director of the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy, and Jeff Kenworthy is Associate Professor in Sustainable Settlements at the Institute, at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia."